Excursion Instant Darkroom Tent

3, a solo lightweight, 2p normal and I just got a new - Coleman "Instant Up Darkroom Technology 10 Person Tent", which is a game changer!

I recently bought a Coleman 10 person dark tent I recommend it for families who are car camping like you describe. Lets the kids sleep in more. I have pics of it in my profile in one of my posts. For my kids I just use a reflective heat pad thing under their sleeping bag and then bring a lot of extra blankets in case people get cold. Bring fun little dollar store activities like glow bracelets or those little whistling slingshot helicopter things you shoot in the air. Main issue will be if the 2 year old requires a lot of attention at night. Some are good sleepers and some wake up screaming. I’ve gone through both situations and when it goes bad it can be very tiring but you know what your kids can handle. Not sure what else to say but I’ve taken my young kids camping every year multiple times for many years so if you have specific questions I can try to answer. I think it’s super good for them to do it even when it’s hard for the parents. Edit: white noise app on a phone hooked up to a battery overnight can help a lot with the quiet/random loud sounds at campgrounds. I recommend that too.

We have a Coleman dark room tent with vestibule. I highly recommend it. I love the extra space. Our dog is a big fan of hanging in the tent at night, so we can put him in and with the vestibule, he has lots of space to hang. If it rains, we have plenty of space for activities in the tent. We use tarps for rain. I hate dealing with wet tents and tarps keep the tent dry. It’s easy to set up and can give more space to hang out.

I agree with this. I’ve been camping for 25 years and just bought my first Coleman and I love it. Beware there’s two versions. A much more basic one at anaconda and a better one for a similar price at tentworld and other proper shops. The leds are a very cold light. I’ll replace them with something warmer at some stage.

Try the Coleman instant up darkroom tent if you can. It's a winner for our family!